There is less than a month left in the regular season, and there has already been plenty of movement among leadership in baseball.
The Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Red Sox and New York Mets have all fired their managers. The Los Angeles Angels and Houston Astros have fired their general managers. And there will surely be more changes considered across the league between now and the end of the regular season. So who is on the hot seat?
Let’s dive into it.
Joe Espada, Houston Astros
Once the Houston Astros parted ways with general manager Dana Brown, everyone’s eyes immediately shifted toward manager Joe Espada.
Espada will finish the season as Astros manager. But he, like Brown, is in the final year of his contract and the expectation is that the new general manager will want his own manager in place. Perhaps a deep postseason run in a wide-open American League can lead to a contract extension for Espada. But it’s highly likely a new manager is in place for 2027.
Don Mattingly, Philadelphia Phillies
The buzz surrounding Alex Cora and the Philadelphia Phillies has been loud since the Red Sox fired Cora. In fact, when the Phillies fired Rob Thomson, they initially offered Cora the job. But he elected to take the year off and spend time with his family.
Mattingly is open to remaining the Phillies’ manager beyond the 2026 season, and he’s done a good job since taking over. The franchise has cut what was once a 10.5 game deficit in the National League East into only four games and look like a legitimate World Series threat. Mattingly is deserving of another go at it in Philadelphia, but the allure of Cora – and his connections to Dave Dombrowski – could be tough to overcome.
Torey Lovullo, Arizona Diamondbacks
For some reason, I get asked often about Torey Lovullo’s job status in Arizona. I don’t get it.
Lovullo is one of the best managers in baseball. He has a great relationship with Mike Hazen, the Diamondbacks’ general manager. His players love him. His teams always compete and play hard. If for some reason he was let go, he’d be hired elsewhere in a second. Just imagine how great of a fit he’d be with the New York Mets. But that’s not happening. I cannot see a scenario where he’s let go. He’ll stay in Arizona.
Brian Cashman and Aaron Boone, New York Yankees
Being the leaders of the New York Yankees is not easy. It comes with constant media attention and constant criticism.
But both Cashman and Boone have done a very good job in New York. Cashman is a surefire Hall of Fame executive. Boone is very good at his job and like I mentioned with Lovullo, would be hired in a second if he was ever let go. I firmly expect both to remain with the Yankees beyond the 2026 season. They do not feel like they are in any danger of being let go.
Nick Krall, Cincinnati Reds
After the trade deadline, there was plenty of criticism for what the Cincinnati Reds didn’t do. Tyler Stephenson and Eugenio Suarez were obvious trade candidates … and both players stayed, with other organizations stunned by the high asking price for Stephenson, a free-agent-to-be in the winter.
Soon after, the Reds placed Suarez on waivers, and he went unclaimed. It would indicate there was little market for him at the deadline. Still, the Reds had the most confusing deadline of any team, and Krall failed to take advantage of a market that featured plenty of teams looking for catching reinforcements, with the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox among teams who tried hard to upgrade behind the plate.
Tony Vitello, San Francisco Giants
This has been a very bad year for the Giants. Buster Posey, a franchise legend and now president of baseball operations, has drawn heavy criticism for moves made and not made (see: established closer, better bullpen in general).
The same goes for Vitello, an outside-the-box hire from Tennessee this past winter. But the feeling in league circles is that Vitello is not in danger of losing his job. There will be increased expectations next year, of course, but he should remain in San Francisco barring an unforeseen change.
Kurt Suzuki, Los Angeles Angels
Suzuki signed a one-year deal with the Angels in the winter to match the contract of general manager Perry Minasian.
Since then, Minasian has been fired. The Angels have John Mozeliak running the front office. Arte Moreno has sold the team to billionaire Stan Kroenke. It is extremely likely that there is a change at manager in the winter so Kroenke and the front office can have their own leader in place.
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